Breathe Easy: Inhale Your Way to Healthier Lungs

We often share about the power of your breath as a tool to help navigate life with ease and compassion. In fact, breath awareness is one of the most powerful ways to reconnect to the present moment and find the calm within a pause. Yes, mindfulness! 

And, yet, one of the things we find most fascinating about breath and the concept of breathing is that it is something every living body knows how to do. AND, we rarely (if ever) talk about the many facets of this moment-to-moment activity. We like to think we're all expert breathers. This is totally understandable because we do it 12+ times a minute and more than 17,000 times a day!  

But, if you're like most of us "breathing experts," there's A LOT to learn. The science behind different methods and approaches to breathing for lung health is pretty prolific. So let's start with a nice, slow, deep breath because some of these may surprise you!

Below we've gathered some of our favorite practices that can support a variety of aspects of your body's health and wellbeing. We hope you'll consider adding a few to your Brighter Being toolbox! If you'd like to get started by strengthening your ability to tap into the present moment,

If you'd like to get started by strengthening your ability to tap into the present moment or explore other mindful themes within the Brighter Being System, take a peek at our Breathe Guide.

1. Become a Predominant Nose Breather

You may have heard in the media recently about nose breathing, or perhaps you read James Nestor's book, Breath. When we first discovered the truth and science behind this topic, our jaws dropped open! Then we quickly shut our mouths because we are now officially nose breathers. Honestly, it was a challenge to realize that after more than 300 million breaths enjoyed, NO ONE mentioned that they should have been in and out through the nose.

So this practice is at the top of the favorites list for three reasons: 1) Well, it's shocking. 2) It's vital for your health and wellbeing. 3) There's a chance you're a mouth breather – researchers estimate that as many as half of us are!

So let's start with why mouth breathing is a no-go… besides the occasional drool. Mouth breathing actually reduces the amount of oxygen absorbed by your body. When enjoying a mindful breath, we always encourage deep, slow breaths. This helps reset your nervous system with a boost of oxygen. By breathing through your nose, this pace and depth happen more naturally. In contrast, mouth breathing causes you to over breathe (not as deep or slow) and miss out on serving up fresh air to the lower part of your lungs. 

But that's just the beginning of it. Your nose also serves as a free built-in air filter and humidifier - right there on your face. So when you breathe through your nose, the air entering your lungs is cleaner. And this protruding face filter does more than remove gunk. Your nose also produces nitric acid. Scientists have found that nitric acid helps your airways stay moisturized and signals your blood cells to release oxygen. Good tubes mean happy lungs and blood cells that release healing oxygen promote vitality.  

This article is about lung health, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that breathing through your nose also lets your mouth do mouth things better. For example, the air coming in through your nasals allows you to position your tongue and lips correctly, so your teeth form or remain healthy. 

In short, breathing through your nose reduces your risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease, asthma, allergies, arthritis, diabetes, and the list goes on. Check out this study if you need a few more reasons to shut your trap.  

2. Stay Well Hydrated 

When we think about our breath and lungs, the number one thing that comes to mind is often - oxygen-rich air! However, we sometimes miss what our lungs need to continue providing us with deep, nurturing breaths of life. Although we all know a big gulp of pool water down the wrong tube is no fun, studies now show that water is a critical part of your lung health and ability to breathe easily. 

If you are already great at getting down your daily supply of clean water, then today's the day to celebrate what you're doing for your lung health. Well-hydrated bodies have lungs with thinner lung lining, which allows them to function better. Without this fresh intake of water, the mucus that lines your lungs and airways can get, well, icky. And, icky attracts icky. Dehydrated lungs are often at the root of respiratory challenges. So let's keep in mind that lungs get thirsty and follow your next big inhale with a tall glass of water! 

3. Add Plants to your Indoor Environment

Many practices for lung health and inhaling more vitality into your life involve you doing something. This practice is one of our favorites because it's a reminder that simply being is also profoundly healing and nourishing. This is especially true when it comes to growing your indoor plant family! Vivacious, dirt-loving plants are little powerhouses of goodness for our bodies and mind.  

Our plants tend to be so quiet and still at work that it's easy to forget that they are breathing too! Plants and humans are like peanut butter and jelly in a way. We spew out loads of carbon dioxide with each breath, and they suck that in and send fresh oxygen molecules to float right back into your lungs. So you're getting not just more healthy oxygen in your home, you're also getting cleaner air. If you live in a colder climate or urban environment, these little green babies are a lovely and natural way to reduce some toxins.  

And, we'll need a whole other article to share the wellspring of mental benefit that flora friends provide!

4. Practice Good Tongue Posture 

Yes, there's another tiny way to fully align your mind and body! And, this one is also kind to your lungs. By practicing good tongue posture, researchers and dentists are starting to find evidence that you can optimize your breath. By the way, this practice also doubles as a wonderful way to use body awareness to bring you back into the present moment.  

If you're resting your tongue on the bottom of your mouth like a dead fish or leaning it against your teeth, you may want to try another placement that research is starting to suggest. So what is good tongue posture? Rather than go into detail with the weird names of things in your mouth, here is an activity that will help you learn and feel good tongue posture:

With a relaxed jaw and face, close your lips without excessive pressure, and keep your teeth hovered closely together but not touching. With a closed mouth, say the word "gold." The place where your tongue lands on the "D" is your first point of reference. This is where your tongue placement should begin. With the tip of your tongue still on your "D" position, swallow and notice that the tip of your tongue will stay in place. For the back placement, see where your tongue touches the top of your mouth on the "G" in gold. Everything in between the "D" and "G" positions is resting on the roof of your mouth. No pressing is needed. And to double-check that this is your natural tongue posture and resting place, swallow again and see where it lands.

We've heard, and can attest so far in our practice, that it takes time to generate awareness to permanently shift your tongue to a resting position that ultimately helps to send the most healthy oxygen from your nose to your lungs - so be patient! 

5. Get Some Cardiovascular Exercise

Heading out for a brisk walk or run is great for overall health and is incredibly beneficial to serving up some love to your lungs! When you increase the depth and pace of your breath, you expand the capacity and health of your lungs and muscles. With every 30 minutes of heart-pumping exercise, you are teaching your muscles to use oxygen more efficiently and release less carbon dioxide. Studies show that this makes life for your lungs easier! Teamwork, dreamwork, right?

Cardiovascular activity also invites deep breaths that help clear these life-giving organs. Just like surfaces in your home need a regular wipe down, your lungs also need these bursts of high-performance breath to expel and refresh. So next time you are huffing and puffing at the end of a workout, you can now feel great about multi-tasking with some internal power washing, according to research!

6. Be Mindful with Household Cleaners 

Keeping a clean home is crucial to your health, especially your lungs! But let's be mindful as we choose our cleaners and when we may have a chance of inhaling any fumes. Our go-to daily cleaner is vinegar. It doesn't smell flowery fresh, but it's a natural and germ-blasting way to wipe down surfaces. Unfortunately, many cleaners, even a natural one like vinegar, can create highly toxic gases if combined with other ingredients. For example, bleach combos can be super dangerous. So as you are clearing your home to be a peaceful, healthy place, be careful of inhaling (and especially accidentally mixing) any of your cleaners. We all have plenty of masks now. Why not pull one out for cleaning day? Your lungs will thank you.

Another excellent practice for the health of your lungs related to keeping your home tidy is changing your HVAC filters monthly. You know this! But right now, go add a recurring reminder to your calendar to swap out your HVAC filter and while you're at it, tend to your vacuum cleaner too. Not exactly the most exciting chores, but the less build-up of toxins and dust we have in our homes, the healthier and happy our lungs and lives are. This is why we sleep with an air purifier in the bedroom. It's a fantastic nighttime white noise maker and helps reduce the who-knows-what that's swirling around the air. 

Final Thoughts on Ways to Benefit from Healthy Lungs and Inhale Vitality

Incorporate as many suggestions in the list above into your life. You may find some practices easier than others, and others you may already be doing. The key is to stay on your path. With each small practice, you’ll begin to notice your breath and the vitality it offers your body each and every moment!

If you’d like to take a moment to reflect on your relationship with centering, visit our Inhale Page for a simple journal prompt to deepen your connection with this intention.